Is the public massage chair hygienic?, Guangzhou South Station apologizes for "insect infestation in massage chairs" | body | massage chairs
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"Insects appear on massage chairs at Guangzhou South Station"
A matter that arouses attention
According to media reports, on June 10th, a man sitting on a massage chair at Guangzhou South Station began to itch while relaxing. He stood up to check and was shocked to find several bugs on the massage chair. The on-site footage shows that there are multiple insects wriggling in the gaps of the massage chair.
On June 12th, the official Weibo account of Guangzhou South Station stated that in response to netizens reporting the occurrence of insects on individual massage chair covers in the waiting room of Guangzhou South Station, the station attaches great importance to it and immediately urges relevant units to take measures to comprehensively disinfect and kill insects on all massage chairs at the station. At present, all massage chairs in the station have been disinfection and sterilization. The station will strengthen management in the future to ensure that massage chairs are clean and comfortable, and to prevent similar situations from occurring. The station welcomes the supervision of passengers and friends. We deeply apologize for the unpleasant experience this has brought to passengers.
△ The staff were disinfection and sterilization. Image source @ Guangzhou Railway
Is the public massage chair hygienic?
Reporters found through analysis that
In recent years
Public massage chairs in hygiene condition
There have also been many problems
Even some people have poor hygiene conditions for massage chairs
And infected with a skin disease
A woman is suspected to have hives after sitting in a public massage chair. Image source: White Deer Video
For example, in May this year, a woman in Guangzhou was suspected to have urticaria after sitting in a public massage chair. "If there is a place where the skin needs to come into contact, it can be disinfected first, air dried, and then massaged. Of course, you can also wear long clothes and long sleeves, and try not to directly contact the surface of the massage chair," said Zhu Feng, deputy director of the dermatology department at Jiangsu Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital
△ Doctor of Curiosity in Image Source
The reporter searched for "massage chairs" on social media and found that many netizens reported that the hygiene of public massage chairs is worrying: some people step on the chairs barefoot, and there is a lot of dirt hidden in the wrinkles on the surface of the massage chairs. Some media have also conducted corresponding investigations, and found that seemingly convenient and comfortable shared massage chairs in shopping malls, cinemas, stations and other places are actually unattended and have worrying hygiene conditions.
In July 2021, a reporter from the News Morning Post conducted an evaluation of some shared massage chairs in Shanghai and found that a large number of massage chairs did indeed have hygiene hazards.
Some netizens suggest that before using public massage chairs, the hygiene and safety of the facilities should be checked, and direct contact with the skin should be avoided. If there are disinfectant tissues on the hands, they can also be wiped first.
In addition, experts remind us that
Shared massage chair
Be cautious when using it
Especially for the following types of people
Don't sit casually
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① People with discomfort in the waist and neck
For some people with discomfort in the waist and neck area, massage can indeed alleviate pain symptoms, but it is limited to professional massage and massage chairs are not within the scope of application.
For people who already have discomfort in their waist and neck, it is best not to use a massage chair.
② Patients with hypertension and cardiovascular disease
Massage can promote blood circulation and relieve fatigue, but it is not a good thing for patients with hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Due to the significant acceleration of blood circulation, it is not conducive to blood pressure control, and cardiovascular patients may have blood clots in their bodies. During the massage process, the blood clots may be compressed, deformed, or even detached, causing embolism and endangering life.
③ Patients with diabetes
Diabetes patients themselves are prone to vascular and nerve related complications, and once the massage force is too strong, skin damage occurs, and recovery is very slow.
④ Patients with osteoporosis
Elderly people over 60 years old who lack exercise are more likely to have osteoporosis, and many of them have degenerative changes in their joints. Bone aging compresses nerves, and the pressure of massage chairs, regardless of severity, can easily cause harm to the elderly.
⑤ Pregnant women
Massage chairs, due to their stimulation of fixed acupoints in the human body, can easily cause uterine contractions and induce miscarriage for pregnant women when massaging special acupoints such as the shoulder, neck, and waist.
Have you ever used a public massage chair?
How was the experience?
